Photo courtesy of Donna Mixon After 37 years of service to UPS, Jay Mixon retired from the business to enjoy a slower pace of life.

A local man well-known for driving his UPS truck around Thomson for three decades has retired.
Jay Mixon, who retired Aug. 23 after 37 years of service, said he got his start at UPS because a man who lived down the street from him encouraged him to apply for an opening made by a woman who moved from an office job to being a driver.
“I was living on Brentwood Drive at the time, and I had a neighbor who lived up the road,” Mixon said. “I didn’t know him that well, but he knew my family and called me out of the blue and asked what I was doing as far as working. I said I’m working at Family Dollar. He asked me if that was a career thing, and I said no. It just worked out well while I was going to Augusta College.”
Mixon said the man told him about the possible opening and encouraged him to apply.
“He said they would probably tell me that there wasn’t an opening but to apply anyway for future reference,” Mixon said.
Mixon began his career at UPS in 1981, working in the office for three years. He then went to Atlanta in the spring of 1984 to train to be a driver.
“The girl who I had replaced at night had gone snow skiing later that spring and fell and broke her leg,” Mixon said. “When I got back from my training, I didn’t miss very many days. That’s unusual for your first year of driving because you usually just fill in when they need you to work.”
By the time the woman got back on the road from her injury, Mixon said vacations began kicking in for other veteran driers, so he was able to drive pretty much all the time his first year, 1984.
From 1984 to 2017, Mixon served as a driver on the same route.
“I was on the same route for 30 years,” Mixon said. “I developed a relationship with many of the people, even if I’d only see some for 10 minutes every day or so. Everybody was so wonderful and made my job easy. I tried to treat them well and hoped they would do the same for me.”
Mixon said he plans to do some gardening, farming and spend more time with the church and with his wife.
“I am ready for a much slower pace of life,” Mixon said.